Radio Atlantic, IA – AM 1220

Iowa reports first cantaloupe-related illness

October 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State health officials say a northwest Iowa woman is the state’s first reported case of someone becoming ill after eating a cantaloupe tainted with listeria. The Iowa Department of Public Health says in a news release Wednesday the woman was pregnant at the time she became ill and suffered a miscarriage. State health officials say the woman has recovered. The woman had eaten a cantaloupe purchased at an Iowa store. It’s the state’s first case linked to the multi-state outbreak of listeria linked to a Colorado farm. Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the state’s medical director, says while all affected cantaloupe should be off store shelves, more illnesses may be reported because it can take two months for symptoms to develop. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea.